1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for and a method of assembling and packaging a pump and a receptacle.
2. Related Art
In some cases, pumps can be assembled on receptacles or flasks, for example by means of a fixing bush provided on its inside wall with elastically deformable elements for fastening beneath a collar secured to the neck of the receptacle, and packaging is performed by means of a skirt designed at least in part to clamp radially against the outer wall of said bush.
By way of example, the packaging skirt is made out of a malleable material making it possible to obtain clamping that fits and is durable, but that is not elastically deformable.
Thus, a subsequent force or shock on said skirt can give rise to remanent deformation which is unsightly.
Unfortunately, mounting the bush on the neck of the receptacle necessarily implies temporarily flaring at least some of the bottom portion of the bush as it passes over the projecting collar. If the skirt is already clamped in position on the bush, the fastener elements move apart, thereby applying force to the skirt with the direct consequence of deforming it.
One solution consists in putting the skirt into place later on. The fastener elements can then move freely, but it becomes necessary to perform a subsequent and additional operation in order to mount the skirt on the bush.
A variant consists in initially engaging the skirt on the top portion only of the bush, prior to locking it on the receptacle by elastically deforming the fastener elements, and then in lowering the skirt fully while radially clamped on the bush.
However, all of the solutions implemented in the past lead to an increase in the cost of the assembly method and, in addition, they are not satisfactory technically speaking or in terms of appearance.
In all cases, locking the bush leaves a small amount of remanent deformation in its bottom portion, thereby making it difficult to fit the outer skirt subsequently.
In particular, lowering of the skirt is braked or even stopped by resistance from the bottom portion of the bush.
Under such conditions, final assembly can be obtained only after careful adjustment and by exerting axial thrust on the skirt, which runs the risk of giving rise to harmful deformation of said skirt and/or to shavings of material being removed from the wall of the bush.
An object of the present invention is to resolve those technical problems in satisfactory manner by providing an empty zone in association with the fastener elements and in which the bush is not liable to come into deforming contact with the skirt.
According to the invention, this object is achieved by means of a device for assembling and packaging a pump and a receptacle of the type comprising firstly a fixing bush provided on its inside wall with elastically deformable elements for fastening beneath a collar of the neck of the receptacle, and secondly with a packaging skirt that is malleable, at least in part, clamped radially against the outside wall of said bush, the device being characterized in that said bush has setbacks formed in its outside wall in register with the fastener elements, defining an intermediate empty zone in which said skirt is not liable to be deformed by said elements.
In a particular embodiment, said setback corresponds to the wall of the bush being offset radially inwards.
In an advantageous variant, said setback corresponds to a reduction in the thickness of the wall of the bush.
In a variant, said fastener elements are constituted by catches carried by the inside wall of the bush and designed to snap-fasten beneath the collar of the neck of the receptacle.
In a variant, said catches are topped by respective abutment and wedging faces of profile that matches the collar of the neck.
According to yet another characteristic, said setback is formed over a height that is not less than the height of the neck of the receptacle.
According to other characteristics, said bush carries elements for supporting the pump and elements for sealing the assembly.
The invention also provides a method of assembling and packaging a pump and a receptacle whose neck is provided with a retaining collar, the method being is characterized in that setbacks are formed in the outside wall of an internal fixing bush in register with elastically deformable elements for fastening beneath the collar of the receptacle, a malleable outer skirt is engaged on the internal bush so that at least part of said skirt clamps radially against the outside wall of said bush, and then said fastener elements are deformed by force and locked beneath the collar without altering the outside appearance of said skirt by applying axial thrust to the bush together with the skirt against the neck of the receptacle.
The device of the invention makes it possible to perform assembly in a single operation since the outer skirt and the inner bush can remain united and radially clamped to each other at least in part, while they are being locked on the collar of the receptacle, without the locking giving rise to any kind of deformation of the skirt, and a fortiori to any change in its external appearance.